Scottish Executive

Enterprise

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage enterprise in disadvantaged communities.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive is committed to encouraging enterprise in disadvantaged communities, and groups currently under-represented in business. Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise offer a wide range of business support through the business gateway in the Scottish Enterprise area and via the local enterprise companies in the Highlands and Islands area aimed at individuals in disadvantaged communities including women, young people and people with a disability. Three recent examples are the Women into Business conference in February 2004, my recent launch of the new Business Start-up Grant aimed at encouraging more young people to set up a business and the enterprise show held in Glasgow last year to highlight the benefits of entrepreneurship and enterprise for disabled people.

  In addition, the Executive is working with partnerships across Scotland to develop new skills and unlock opportunities through programmes such as the new Scottish Urban Regeneration Companies and the Community Regeneration Fund.

  The Executive is also supporting and developing social enterprises in Scotland, many of which operate in the most disadvantaged and deprived communities. We have established Social Investment Scotland, which has the purpose of providing loan finance to the social economy to stimulate enterprise and wealth creation in under-invested communities. We are also about to announce a strategy aimed at supporting the growth of the social economy and social enterprises in Scotland.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25143 by Mr Jim Wallace on 1 May 2002, how many (a) individuals and (b) companies have been convicted of offences relating to the pollution of rivers and other waterways in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002, (iii) 2003 and (iv) 2004, listing the rivers and waterways concerned and the range of penalties imposed upon such offenders.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information on numbers convicted and fines imposed in respect of offences under Part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 is given in the table. Under the 1974 act, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency regulates discharges to Controlled Waters. In addition to rivers and other watercourses, Controlled Waters include other waters such as groundwater, coastal waters and ponds. Separate records are not kept in respect of rivers and watercourses only.

  Persons and Companies Convicted of Pollution of Controlled Waterways1, 2001-04

  

 
2001
2002
2003
20042


Persons:
 


Number convicted
8
3
4
1


Lowest fine (£)
100
500
450
400


Average fine (£)
744
1,500
550
400


Highest fine(£)
1,000
3,500
1,000
400


Companies1:


Number convicted
17
19
20
10


Lowest fine (£)
500
400
1,000
500


Average fine (£)
2,824
5,455
4,825
5,000


Highest fine(£)
5,000
20,000
15,000
10,000



  Source: Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

  Notes:

  1. Includes limited companies, partnerships and public bodies.

  2. To 3 August.

  Rivers and other watercourses that were the subject of discharges leading to convictions for pollution offences are listed as follows. The list is not definitive as systematic records of the names of rivers etc involved are not kept.

  Rivers and waterways that have been the subject of discharges giving rise to convictions for pollution offences, 2001 to 3 August 2004:

  Finglen Burn

  Gogar Burn

  Peffer Burn West

  Downie Burn

  Blairvault Burn

  Coachford Burn

  Burn of Shenwell

  Sole Burn

  Lettermay Burn

  Longniddry Burn

  An unnamed tributary of the Garf Water

  River Almond

  Gadie Burn

  River Ugie

  The Kittoch Water

  Fairlie Burn

  Black Lynn Burn, Oban

  River Lochy

  Burn of Couster, Shetland

  Bogend Burn

  Barry Burn

  Kames Burn

  West Carmuirs Burn

  Board Burn

  Howgill Burn

  Tanavie Burn

  Ballagan Burn

  Achahuish Burn

  River Ugie

  Gadie Burn

  River Ugie

  Loch Kinshorn

  Ebrie Burn

  Clyde Estuary

  Park Burn

  River Nith

  Torry Burn

  Crookston Burn

  Glen River, Stornoway

  Mid Laird Burn, Daviot

  Cove Burn, Gourock

  Monikie Burn

  Bothlin Burn

  River Rannoch

  Tobermory River

  Avon Water

  Red Burn

  Boyndie Burn

  Torry Burn.

Mortality

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the life expectancy at birth has been in each year since 1997, broken down by gender.

Hugh Henry: A table of life expectancies for the years in question is available from the General Register Office for Scotland’s website at:

  http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/grosweb/grosweb.nsf/pages/03reference-table5.

Mortality

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the mortality rates of people aged from five to 59 per 1,000 have been in each year since 1997, broken down by gender.

Hugh Henry: The information requested is shown in the following table:

  Death Rates in Scotland Ages 5 to 59 per 1,000 Population

  

Year of Registration
Female
Male


1997
1.57
2.72


1998
1.54
2.74


1999
1.55
2.80


2000
1.53
2.70


2001
1.55
2.81


2002
1.55
2.80


2003
1.55
2.66

Water safety

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total central government grant was for the replacement of lead piping in each of the last 10 financial years.

Ms Margaret Curran: Grants for the replacement of lead piping in privately owned houses are made by local authorities. There are no central government grants to individuals, nor is funding to local authorities ring-fenced for this purpose. However, the Scottish Executive does collect statistics on the amount spent by local authorities on grant for lead pipe replacement in private housing. Figures for the past 10 years, for the whole of Scotland, are given in the table. Figures for 2003-04 are not yet available.

  

Year
Expenditure (£)


1992-93
14,696,298


1993-94
14,604,760


1994-95
4,646,472


1995-96
1,833,774


1996-97
1,358,363


1997-98
1,057,141


1998-99
1,055,455


1999-2000
931,234


2000-01
1,007,734


2001-02
1,140,502


2002-03
1,082,880



  Source: Scottish Executive Housing Statistics Branch.

  IMP1 B Dataset as at January 8, 2004.